Furnace.



R. S. MOORE.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18. 1914.

1 1 39 5586 Patented May 18, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEET L THE NORRIS PE1ER5 C0,, PHOTG-LITHUH WASHING TON, D,

R. S. MOORE.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FlLED NOV. 18, 1914.

1 1 9 5 a Patented. May 18, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I k-WI "EH-Ht; (f1) PHOTO LITIIFL. WAHHNGTUN, Li C.

R. S. MOORE.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, l9l4.

Patented May 18, 1910.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTOLITHOH WASHINGTON, n. C.

R. S. MOORE.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18. I914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Patented May 18, 1915.

W114 1 ass as THE NORRIS PE n PHOTO UN'TTED TATE ATENT @FFTfiE.

RALPH S. MOORE, OF EL PASO, TEXAS.

FURNACE.

Application filed November 18, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RALPH S. MOORE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at El Paso, in the county of El Paso and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to heating furnaces for heating or reheating billets, blooms, slabs, and the like preparatory to rolling, pressing or other steel making operations. Like all furnaces of this type, the blooms are introduced at the front, cold end of the furnace and are moved therethrough along the hearth toward the hot end nearest the combustion chamber.

It has heretofore been proposed to lift the billets, etc., at or near the end of their travel on the skidways so as to heat the black spots on the billets caused by contact with the water cooled skidways, during the passage of the metal along the hearth, preparatory to discharging the billets from the furnace.

The object of this invention is a novel mechanism for enabling this uniform heating and the dissipation of the black spots when desired, said mechanism comprising a lifting means or movable hearth actuated by the charging means, provision being made to actuate the charging means also independently of the lifting means together with details of construction hereinafter more particularly described and set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like parts are similarly designatedFigure 1 is p a longitudinal vertical section of a furnace embodying the invention, the central portion thereof being broken away. Fig. 2 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section through the heating chamber. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33, of Fig. 2, showing the hearth and the lifting hydraulic cylinder in section. Fig. 4 is a section on the line l4: of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section, partly in elevation, of the pusher. Fig. 6 is a part plan View of the pusher mechanism. Figs. 7 and 8 are Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Serial no. 272,777.

diagrams illustrating billets in lifted position and billets in lowered position after heating the black spots, respectively.

The furnace which has been constructed and is in actual operation, is, as herein shown, a twin or double furnace capable of accommodating two rows of billets, slabs, or the like, and consequently is provided with two sets of skidways, each provided with a pusher arranged to control the lifting hearth. Means are, however, provided whereby the pushers may be operated simultaneously or independently, thereby enabling the treatment of blooms or the like of double length, there being but a single reverberatory chamber through which the metal to be heated is passed during the heating operation.

The furnace is provided, preferably but not necessarily, with two combustion chambers a, side by side each supplied by an automatic stoker of well known type and indicated at Z). The two combustion chambers have a fire bridge 0 common to both of them and behind this fire bridge is a receiving trough (Z into which the billets fall preparatory to being removed from the furnace. The bottom of this trough may be of any suitable construction and may contain the customary roller table for assisting in the removal of the billets from the furnace if it is desired to use such table. The hearth 6 extends from the trough cl, or fire bridge 0 to the charging end of the furnace, is supplied with a heating flame from either or both chambers a, and extending across the charging end of the furnace is a door The products of combustion pass down through lateral fiues g to the stack tunnel h or other chimney equivalent. A portion of the roof of the furnace is raised at i to from a chamber into which the ingots and the like are moved when lifted from the skidways, in other words, to provide lifting room for the material treated. These skidways are water cooled pipes 76, carried along the hearth and raised above the same on tile Z as is customary. Below the portion 2' of the furnace is a pit or chamber 1% in which is placed the hydraulic mechanism for the lifting portion of the hearth and the water supply end of the skidways 7c is in this chamber. The skidways are inclined at n at their discharge ends and are then bent to pass through openings 0 extending from the side of the trough (Z through the brickwork of the furnace into the chamber m, Figs. 1 and 4. 7

Within the chamber at is mounted a hy draulic cylinder 9 whose piston g carries a table 2 covered with refractory material 8. This table carries two piers t more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 8. These piers are constructed preferably of refractory material through which pass cooling pipes at supplied with cooling waterby any suitable flexible means, not shown. These piers are parallel to the tile Z and the skidways 7c supported thereon above the hearth, a pair of which skidways pass between the two parallel piers 25 supported on the table 1".

The chamber m is spanned by a bridge 11 provided with water cooling pipes 10 on which bridge some of the tile Z are placed in order to carry the skidways across the chamber m. It will be noted that the hydraulic cylinder and piston 79, g, are inclined to a vertical, 2'. 6., toward the trough d so that when the table 7' with its piers t is,

raised, the billet on the movable hearth near its entering side, will readily part when lifted from the adjacent billet on the skidways and also allows the billet at said forward edge of the table to easily settle into place when the table is lowered, without overlapping the last billet on the skidway. Infront of the furnace'at the charging end, and supported on suitable structural iron work is an inclined skidway 10 on which the cold or cool billets rest and down which they are slid on to rails 30 in front of a pusher 11 which pusher and its operating mechanism is located beneath the skidway 10. This pusher 11, Fig. 5, slides on an apron 12 between the ends of the skidways that extend outside of the furnace.

The pusher 11 by means of a key 18 is secured to the end of a screw 1 1 mounted in a sleeve '15 contained in a housing 16. On this screw 1 1 is a nut 17 operated by a' gear wheel 18. The gear wheel 18 is driven by a pinion 19 on the armature shaft of an electric motor 20, more clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The pusher mechanism for both sides of the furnace are identical and are connected together by means of a pinion 21 inserted between the two gear wheels 18 of the two pusher mechanisms, said pinion 21, being mounted on a slidable shaft 22 operated by a lever mechanism indicated at 23, so that by sliding the pinion 21 into gear with the two gear wheels 18, both pushers can be operated in unison by the one or both of the motors 20, while, on the other'hand by moving the pinion 21 out of engagement with the gear 13, the two pushers can be operated independently by their motors 20.

The screw 14: is in alinement with a hydraulic piston as contained in a cylinder 25 connected by a pipe 26 to the hydraulic cylinder p of the movable hearth so that by causing the screw is to move to the right,

Fig. 1, the hydraulic piston 24 will be forced in, the cylinder 25 to displace the liquid therein, oil or water, through the pipe 26 into the cylinder p to raise the hearth. I In the drawings I have illustrated this hydraulic mechanism as being supplied with water from a suitable main at 27, there being a cut-off valve 28 in the pipe 26 for the purpose of cutting off the supply of water to each system when the latter is filled, and also for the purpose of permitting a supply of small quantities of water for compensating for leakage. Each pipe 26 is also supplied with a pet-cock or equivalent valve 29, whereby the operator can'decrease the quan tity of water in the hydraulic system.

The operation is as follows-Assuming that the hydraulic system is properly filled with liquid, billets or the like as B are slid down over the end of the skidway 10 in front of the pusher 11, onto the rail 30.

The electric motor 20 ;is started and the screw 14: is moved to the-left, Fig. 1, by the rotation of the nut 17, Fig. 5', attached to the gear wheel 18. As soon as one billet has been'moved a sufficient distance along the water cooled skidways 7c the pusher is retracted and another billet is positioned in front of a pusher and pushed into the furnace also pushing along the previously charged billet and this'operation is con: V

tinned until the furnace is full. When the billets at the end of the skidway is have remained in the furnace at suflicient length of time the screw '14 is moved to the right,

that is to say, against the hydraulic piston 24, causing the latter to displace the water from the cylinder 25 through the pipe 26 to the cylinder p,'thereby raising the hearth or table-r to engage the ends ofthe billet projectingfover the skidways 7c and lift these billets up from the skidways to enable the flame from the combustion chamber a'to pass beneath the billets between the piers p to heat the cool or black spots that were caused by the billets coming into contact with the water cooled skidways is. After a suflicient time another billet is dropped in front of the pusher and they screw 14: is

moved to the left again, thereby first low: ering the movable hearth or table r and thereafter pushing the last billet on saidtable down the inclined portion 12 of the skidways into the trough (Z behind the-fire bridge '0, whence it is removed through suitable openings at the ends of this trough.

The present structure affords many advantages. In case of a breakdown of the hydraulicsystem, the furnace can be used.

in the ordinary manner without a lifting hearth in such cases where it is not neces sary to quickly heat the material and it can remain in the furnace for a suflicient length of time to thoroughly soak, or in such cases where black spots on the billet are immaterial in so far as a rolled product is concerned. By opening the pet-cocks at 29, any amount of water can be discharged from the hydraulic system, thereby regulating to a nicety the lift of the table 0. This furnace is also very convenient for operating with eXtra length material, in which case the pinion 21 is caused to be inserted between the two gear wheels 18, Fig. 2 by means of any suitable lever mechanism as indicated at 23, whereby both pushers are caused to operate in unison and to operate as a single pusher.

I claim- 1. In a heating furnace, the combination with suitable ways for supporting the material and for sliding it thereon; of a movable hearth, mechanism for moving the hearth, charging means for progressing the material along said ways, said mechanismarranged for actuation by said charging means.

2. In a heating furnace, the combination with suitable ways for supporting and for sliding material thereon; of a plurality of movable hearths, hydraulic mechanisms for moving the hearths, charging mechanisms for progressing the material along the ways, said hydraulic mechanisms actuated by said charging mechanisms, and coupling means for said charging mechanisms, whereby said charging mechanisms are caused to move in unison to move said hearths in unison.

3. In a heating furnace, the combination with suitable ways for supporting and sliding material thereon; of a plurality of movable hearths, hydraulic mechanisms for moving the hearths, charging mechanisms for progressing the material along the ways, said hydraulic mechanisms actuated by the charging mechanisms, and means to permit said charging mechanisms to be actuated either independently or in unison to actuate said hearths either independently or in unison.

4;. In a heating furnace, a stationary hearth and a movable hearth near the end thereof, means to move the latter hearth upwardly and at an angle to the vertical away from the end of the stationary hearth, and charging means for progressing the material along the hearths, said movable hearth actuated from said charging means.

5. In a heating furnace, the combination with furnace skidways; of a movable hearth comprising piers between which said skidways extend, an inclined hydraulic piston and cylinder for supporting and moving said piers and means for controlling the supply of liquid to and from said cylinder.

6. In a heating furnace, a stationary hearth, skidways on the hearth, a chamber beneath the hearth and over which said skidways are bridged, a movable hearth having piers substantially parallel to said skidways, moving mechanism for said hearth located in said chamber, a fire bridge, and a receiving trough between said bridge and movable hearth at the end of said skidways and to which said skidways extend whereby the billets may be moved to the trough on the skidways manually, if desired.

7. In a heating furnace, the combination with a stationary hearth and a movable hearth; of mechanism for moving the latter hearth, a screw, a pusher secured thereto, and means for moving the screw to actuate the pusher in one direction to charge material into the furnace, and in the opposite direction for operating the mechanism for moving said movable hearth.

8. In a heating furnace, the combination with a stationary hearth and a plurality of movable hearths; of separate mechanism for moving said movable hearths, a plurality of pusher mechanisms each comprising a pusher, a screw, a rotatable nut on said screw, a gear wheel on said nut and means for rotating said gear wheel, said screw arranged to operate a hearth moving mechanism, and a sliding pinion arranged to be moved into and out of gear with a pair of said gear wheels, whereby said hearths and pushers may be simultaneously or independently operated.

9. In a re-heating furnace, a stationary hearth, a lifting hearth, and means to move the latter hearth in an upwardly inclined direction in a straight line away from the stationary hearth, thereby permitting the ready separation of material on the movable hearth and also permitting, when the hearth is lowered, the material thereon to settle back into its lowest position without overlapping the material remaining on the sta tionary hearth.

10. In a re-heating furnace, a stationary hearth, a receiving trough, a lifting hearth between said stationary hearth and trough, skidways on the stationary hearth extending over the lifting hearth to said trough whereby 'the billets may be moved to the trough on the skidways manually, if desired and charging means to progress material along said skidways to said trough.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH S. MOORE. /Vitnesses:

WM. J. Frsorrnn, J. O. WANDEMOER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

